Local Rowers represent Seward and Alaska in Australia
Posted on: October 30, 2009 | lltr | Comments Off | Print Article | Rate Post:
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yes those are the real Olympic rings
Ten rowers, including our coxswain, from Seward and Cooper Landing (Kenai Crewsers Rowing Club) were part of the contingent of 41 Alaskan rowers competing in the World Master Games in Australia earlier this month. Alaska had the largest showing of any US state in the rowing competition.
The World Master Games were comprised of 28 different sports with over 28,000 athletes from 95 countries. The goal of the World Masters games is motivating a goal-oriented and long-term attitude towards sport, physical fitness and health. The World Masters Games bring together men and women for the simple joy of competing with their peers. Many of the venues were the same ones used in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Rowing was no exception, it was held on the Penrith Lakes International Regatta Centre, a world-class facility built for the Olympics. Rowing had over 2,400 athletes and over 850 races scheduled. The motto of the 2009 games was Fit, Fun and Forever Young. Rowers ranged in age from 27 to 91, and he won a gold medal.
The Kenai Crewsers, along with Anchorage Rowing Association and Alaska Midnight Sun Rowing Association (Kenai/Soldotna) had five days of competition. We entered in 22 events, from men’s to women’s and mixed gender events, from the double sculls, pair, four with and without coxswain, quad sculls and the eight. While we didn’t bring home any medals, they did notice we were there. Many of us went outside our comfort zones and raced in small boats (pairs and doubles) and of course our favorite the eight. The competition was serious but friendly. The format was heats, with the top finishers advancing to semi-finals or finals, depending upon the number of entries.
Our coxswain, Becky Buchanan, is an integral part of many of our boats. However, not all the boats utilize a coxswain. A coxswain is the person who faces forward and steers, calls commands, and basically cheerleads us to victory. This large of a regatta, complete with so many boats on the lake at once, wind, starting platforms and narrow channels to negotiate was a first time experience for Becky and she did a wonderful job in the five races she coxed for us.
One of the highlights for me, says Lori Landstrom, was the women’s eight D age category. We practiced long hours for that race and we missed advancing to the finals by less than 4 seconds. Only the top two boats from each of the four heats advanced to the finals, we were in the thick of it. Less than four minutes of pure adrenaline and excitement and at the end exhaustion and joy.
The World Masters Games are held ever four years; the next Games are scheduled in August 2013 in Torino, Italy. Dust off your favorite sports equipment and start to get ready, by getting fit, having fun, and staying forever young. You can bet we are.
Complete results for the Kenai Crewsers Rowing Club below:
Women’s D Four without Cox—Lori Swann, Lori Landstrom, Nancy Anderson and Tanya Sandefur finished last in their heat after another crew crashed into them. No one was injured or damage incurred and all finished with smiles on their faces.
Women’s E Pair—Terri Orr and Rhonnie Berklund finished sixth in their heat, in their first ever pair race outside of Alaska in 4:47.72.
Women’s C Four with Cox—Lori Swann, Sue Faust, Nancy Anderson, Tanya Sandefur with Becky Buchanan as coxswain finished fifth in their heat in 4:30.21.
Women’s E Double Sculls—Racing in the same heat, Lori Landstrom and Tanya Sandefur finished ninth in 4:43.78 and Sue Faust and Rhonnie Berklund finished seventh in 4:43.41.
Women’s C Double Sculls—Lori Swann and Sue Faust finished sixth in their heat in 4:34.52.
Women’s D Pair—Lori Landstrom and Rhonnie Berklund missed advancing to the finals by 2.11 seconds, placing fourth in 4:32.81.
Men’s D Quad Sculls—Harold Faust joined three men from Anchorage Rowing Association to finish fifth in their heat in 3:59.52.
Men’s E Four with Cox—Tom Swann and Harold Faust were joined by two men and coxswain Natasha Graham (Seward HS grad) from Anchorage Rowing Association finishing their heat in 3:57.23, advancing to the semi finals where they finished fifth in 3:55.75.
Women’s D Four with Cox—Nancy Anderson, Lori Landstrom, Sue Faust, Rhonnie Berklund with coxswain Becky Buchanan finished sixth out of eight boats in their heat in 4:27.10.
Terri Orr, Lori Swann, Anne Blount, Tanya Sandefur with coxswain Scott Coon finished fourth in their heat, missing advancing to the semi finals by 2 seconds.
Men’s D Four with Cox—Tom Swann, Harold Faust and coxswain Becky Buchanan were joined by two Anchorage Rowing Association men to finish sixth in the heat in 4:03.92.
Women’s D Eight with Cox—Terri Orr, Lori Swann, Anna Kohl, Lori Landstrom, Sue Faust, Tanya Sandefur, Nancy Anderson, Rhonnie Berklund and coxswain Becky Buchanan just missed advancing to the finals with third in their heat in 3:54.62.
Women’s E Eight with Cox– Terri Orr, Lori Swann, Janeece Higgins and Kate Swift (Anchorage), Lori Landstrom, Sue Faust, Rhonnie Berklund, Tanya Sandefur and coxswain Becky Buchanan finished fourth in their heat in 4:12.48.
Unfortunately the following races were canceled on Day Four due to high winds and unsafe conditions: Women’s D Quad Sculls-Lori Swann, Terri Orr, Sue Faust and Rhonnie Berklund;
Men’s D Double Sculls-Harold Faust and Tom Swann;
Women’s E Four with Cox-Nancy Anderson, Rhonnie Berklund, Lori Landstrom, Tanya Sandefur and coxswain Becky Buchanan;
Men’s E Four without Cox-Harold Faust and three men from Anchorage Rowing Association.
Mixed D Quad Sculls—Harold Faust, Tom Swann, Lori Swann and Lori Landstrom finished fifth out of eight boats in their race in 4:21.64.
Again, due to high winds and unsafe conditions the following races were cancelled on Day Five:
Mixed D Eight with Cox-Tom Swann joining seven men from Anchorage Rowing Association and coxswain Natasha Graham;
and Mixed E Double Sculls-Harold Faust and Terri Orr.
Harold Faust and Tom Swann join with the Anchorage men to race. (in the foreground)
The Women’s D Eight warming up before their race.
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